Restaurant O&O* St Willebrord  

 

Danny and Helena Tsang; he is from Hong Kong and she is from Malaysia. They both leave for the Netherlands and meet in a Chinese restaurant in Delft where they both worked; Danny as a waiter and Helena behind the bar. They discover their shared love for beautiful dishes as well as for each other.  In 1982, the young couple opens Chinese takeaway restaurant New Hong Kong in St Willebrord, in the south of The Netherlands. They have three children who, unusually enough, all return after their studies and work in this close-knit family business to this day. Monica as maître, Wendy as sommelier specializing in non-alcoholic creations and Mike as sous-chef and finance manager. In 2018, Chef Levi Bunt joins the family. 

Upon entering, we are immediately pleasantly surprised by the family's warm welcome, the atmospheric ambience and the delectable smell coming from the kitchen. We engage in conversation at a beautifully set table with Mike Tsang and Levi Bunt.  

 

From Chinese takeaway to Michelin-starred restaurant 

Son Mike tells how as children they helped out in the business from an early age. "Until 20 years ago, this was a Chinese takeaway restaurant. There were several Chinese restaurants popping up in our small community at that time and as a result, prices were competing. That was the time for us to go in a different direction and differentiate ourselves." Moreover, this was also not the Tsang family's ambition. Mike continues "one of our highly esteemed guests said to my father 'Danny you're not a takeaway chef' and he was right that's all about mass and speed and my father, on the contrary, is into quality and sophistication. That was the moment my parents decided to stop takeaway and focus entirely on the restaurant." 

 

Refined authentic dishes 

The restaurant's name will be renamed O&O, which stands for Oriental & Original. From now on, Helena and Danny will focus on refined authentic dishes. Mike proudly explains: "Modern Asian cuisine represents their heritage. They reach back to the Cantonese and Southeast Asian cuisine they grew up with and combine it with French cooking techniques, Japanese influences and beautiful products."  

This results in popular signature dishes that attract guests from all over the world. In 2018, 36 years after the couple opened the restaurant, they will receive a Michelin star.  

 

Chef Levi Bunt  

In early 2018, chef Levi Bunt joined O&O's kitchen. He is now part of the Tsang family because he is together with daughter Monica. 

"I wanted to develop 'differently' as a chef, so I left for France where I cooked for three and a half years at the restaurant L' Atelier Yssoirien, which belongs to my cousin, chef Dorian van Bronkhorst. In France, because of the sun, better products are available. Herbs from the mountains, mushrooms from the forests. An instructive time when we also cooked a star. But I wanted to go back." 

Levi came back to the Netherlands for a short holiday, had heard a thing or two about R&D and wanted to experience and taste it. He was impressed by the cuisine, the flavours, the atmosphere and the people and found his next challenge here. 

 

Standing still is going backwards 

"I am a perfectionist. Good is not always good enough it can always be better. As a chef, you always have to be open to development because stagnation is going backwards. But you also have to be able to enjoy when something succeeds, so I do take those moments now." 

At R&D, two generations work side by side. Each has their own task and mother Helena is the hub, visionary and heart of the family in this. Levi who is classically trained in French forms the creative bridge between the different cuisines, enriching Asian cuisine with Western finesse. 

 

Striving together for the best 

Levi: "That striving for the best together is what makes me happy. A dish also only appears on the menu if we have all tasted it and all like it."  

 

Unknown & special products 

Meanwhile, father Danny has also joined the table and talks passionately about the days when there were no cookbooks and or social media and they could only discover new products, preparations and flavors by travelling far away. Various trays come to the table from which he conjures up the most beautiful, unusual and, to us, completely unknown products. These were brought back from Japan where the Tsang family was last summer, because they keep making those culinary trips and explorations....   

 

You can taste how the products have been handled 

Levi enthusiastically tells: "It is inspiring that we work with special products such as Chinese asparagus and dried Asian mushrooms. Also, our Wagyu and soy sauces with all their layers of flavor are fantastic, you don't see them anywhere else. These products also deserve different handling. The products are handled very well here. For example, everything has to be washed several times and products may only be cut in a certain way, we go very far in that." 

 

Favorites 

Levi himself loves the XO sauce and Danny's famous razor clams. He praises these for their deep flavor and overall picture.  

Levi: "I'm a big glutton anyway and like almost everything. One condition, though, is that it must be well prepared and the products must have been handled with respect because you can taste that." 

 

Father Danny can be woken up for a dish that is "simple and tasty". "The steamed turbot that we used to eat often as a family and now regularly features on our menu is a good example." 

 

The unbridled ambition of the Tsang family and their team leads to an impressive list 

2003 First mention in the Michelin Guide 

2011 First mention in Lekker 

2014 Top 25 best Asian restaurants according to NRC 

2016 15/20 points in Gault & Millau and Award "talented Hostess of the Year" for Monica  

2018 Award 'Wine Restaurant of the Year 2019' from Grootspraak 

2018 Michelin star*  

2022 Mike Tsang and Levi Bunt win Snackmasters 2022 

2022 15.5/20 points in Gault & Millau and Award Asian restaurant of the year 2022 

2022 Medal of Merit of the municipality of Rucphen